Poor show in 2012 poll: BJP to expand base in Kangra

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, October 6

The BJP is weak in Kangra, the biggest and politically the most significant district of the state. This is an area of concern for the party top brass during the three-day conclave that ended at Una yesterday. The status of party in Kangra was discussed at the state as well parliamentary committee level during the meeting.

While talking to The Tribune on the condition of anonymity, party leaders admitted that while the BJP has gained strength in Mandi, Shimla and Harmirpur parliamentary constituencies, Kangra parliamentary constituency that comprises Kangra and Chamba district still remained an area of concern.

The leaders discussed various strategies to strengthen the party in Kangra. The party suffered a debacle in Kangra district during the last Assembly elections and got just three out of 15 Assembly segments due to which BJP’s mission repeat failed miserably in Kangra. Infighting in the BJP was among one of major reasons for the poor show.

Sources here said the party leadership expressed concern over the fact that the party was still deeply ridden with factions in Kangra district and little has improved since the last Assembly elections.

A few senior leaders stressed on the need to have senior leader in Kangra district around whom other leaders could gather and party could present a united front. Shanta Kumar, former CM and present BJP MP from Kangra, was the pivotal force of BJP in Kangra district. However, due to age and ill health, Shanta Kumar has not being playing an active role in the district despite still having a large following.

Most of the former ministers and senior party leaders from Kangra, including Kishan Kapoor, Ramesh Dhawala and Sarween Chaudhary, have influence limited to their own constituencies. In such a scenario, there was nobody to steer the party to unity in Kangra.

A senior leader of the BJP from Kangra district while talking to The Tribune said that the party leadership was toying with an idea to field a senior party leader from the district around him all could gather. He might be the Chief Minister’s candidate, he said.

The sources here said that a section of party was also in favour of bringing back into the party fold the independent MLAs from Kangra who contested as rebels in the last Assembly elections after being denied the party ticket.

While the party was devising strategy, a few optimistic leaders where of the view that the party will win the next Assembly elections owing to the anti-establishment wave that prevails against the government. However, even these optimistic leaders admitted the fact that infighting in BJP had to be quelled in Kangra for a better show.